Overhead door operating means



Feb. 2, 1943. R. ROGERS OVERHEAD DOOR OPERATING MEANS Filed Nov. 15, 1959 3 SheetsSheet l Inventor Attorneys Feb. 2, 1943. R. ROGERS 2,309,984

OVERHEAD DOOR OPERATING MEANS Filed NOV.

Inventor g fli zcyers By as and W fie/unan- A ttorneus Feb. 2, 1943..

R ROGERS OVERHEAD DOOR OPERATING MEANS 'Filed Nov. 15, 1939 3 SheetsSheet 3 CURRf/VT SOURCE Inventor f5 fio/ye n5 M Patented Feb. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2.309.984 ovsannap noon ornna'rmo means 7 Roy Rogers, Fowlerton, Ind. Application November 15, 1939, Serial No. 304.635 1 Claim. (01. 268-59) My invention relates to improvements in overhead door mechanism and in the means for controllably operating the same to move the door from fully open position to fully closed position and vice versa, and to and from intermediate positions, and the primary object of the invention is to provide simple and foolproof arrangements of this character which are easily and quickly operated.

Other important objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description and the drawings wherein for illustrative purposes a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a contracted side elevational view of overhead door mechanism in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the driving and control mech-- anism showing the side opposite that shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlamed transverse vertical sectional view taken through Figure 1 approximately on the line 4-4.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the rotary snapswitch.

Figure 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the triplepole double-throw switch.

Figure 8 is an end elevational view of Figure 7 and Figure 9 is a schematic wiring diagram showing the operative relations and electrical connections of the present invention.

Figure 10 is an enlarged side elevational view of the upstanding lug.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral I generally designates a horizontal frame which is positioned above the .top of the door opening (not shown) and comprises laterally spaced longitudinal channels 2 which face each other and are connected at one end by a platform 8 and at the opposite end by a cross-member l. A flat carriage 5 is provided on the opposite sides with pairs of rollers or wheels 8 which roll along the lower flanges of the respective channels as indicated in Figure 4, with angle irons 8' attached to the flanges and having their vertical flange extending along the laterally inward sides of the paths of the wheels 8, to guide the wheels and retain lubricant. An idler pulley I projects above and is attached at the middle of the top of the carriage 8 and has trained thereover the operating cable 8 which is trained downwardly around the pulley 8 which is secured to the middle of the inner side of the cross-member l and passes to the connection indicated by the numeral I 0 on the adjacent end of the carriage. A connection I I on the opposite end of the carriage secures the remaining end of the cable 8 after passing around driving mechanism pulleys described below. The top of the carriage is provided at one side with an upstanding lug I2 for a purpose described further on herein.

The lug I2 comprises the stationary standard 18 tapered at its upper end as indicated by the numeral 80, the said upper end being rounded and ofiset and traversed by a pivot 18 which traverses a similar formation on the lower end of the tapered yielding tip 82. Leaf springs 8! attached to the opposite edges of the standard 18 bear their free ends against the related edges of the tip 82 so as to yieldably support the latter normally in an erect position. In the operative engagement of the tip 82 with the levers 5B and 55', a mutual yielding cooperation takes place, making for smooth and eflicient action. The levers 55 and II should be properly spaced and relatively .angulated with respect to the perpendicular to provide for the desired timing of the device and to allow for some slight over-run of the carriage I when a stop is made.

Fixed to depend from the carriage 5 is a rigid bracket I3 which has a lateral pin I4 on which is pivotally mounted the upper end of an L-shaped arm I5 having an extension stop I6 disposed slightly to the rear of the arm when the arm is in normal vertical position and in this position to engage the stop lug .II on the frame I and thereby support the weight of the door (not shown) in a vertical position by reason of connection oi the said door with the extremity of the horizontal portion of the L-shaped arm II, the said connection including a vertical pin I8 passing through said horizontal portion and through both legs of a U-shaped element I! with a helical spring 20 circumposed on the pin I 8 between the bottom of the horizontal portion and the top of the lower leg of the element I9 in a shock absorbing arrangement.

The driving mechanism shown in Figure 3 comprises a reversible split-phase electric motor 20 which i mounted on the platform' 3 at the opposite end of the frame I from the pulley 9 and the normal vertical position of the door (not shown). The shaft of the motor has a pulley 2| aligned with a pulley 22 and connected thereto Y rocker element 44.

of another shaft 28, both shafts being mounted to and between the channels of the frame in positions longitudinally inwardly from the platform 3. The shaft.2| has fixed thereto at a point substantially equidistant from the channels of the frame, a double-grooved pulley 29 in one groove of which is trained the upper flight 01' the cable 8. From here the cable 8 passes around a pulley 30 on the shaft '28 and again passes around the pulley 29 to the point of connection I I with the adjacent end of the carriage 5, whereby starting, running and stopping of the motor in either direction will operate the carriage along the frame I and correspondingly change the position of the door attached to the arm l from vertical to elevated horizontal and vice versa.

The means for starting, stopping and revers ing the motor 28 comprises the electro-mechanical switching unit 3| which includes the bracket 32 by which it is mounted on the platform 3,

r the triple-pole double-throw switch 33, with the three aligned spring contacts 38 and 38 which are arranged as shown. From the opposite ends of the block depend the brackets 40 and 4i in which are journalled the axially aligned pintles 42 and 43 on the ends of the legs of the U-shaped Vertically disposed helical overbalancing springs 45: and 46 are stretched between the middle of the bottom of the block 31 and the ends of the bight portion "of the U-shaped rocker element 44. A dielectric block 48 ha three transverse knives 49 which are tapered toward their opposite ends, the knives ceing fixed on the top of the block 48 in positions to simultaneously engage between the spring arms of all three contacts 38 or 38 according to the position of the rocker element 44. The block 48 is pivotally mounted on the bight portion 41 of the rocker 44 by a dependent lug 48 through which the bight portion passes. A bracket 50 is secured to the bottom of the block adjacent the lug 49 and depends below the switch and has at its lower end an opening 5| receiving a pivot 52 on the adjacent end of a switch operating rod 53 which has its opposite end pivoted at 54 to the curved tip lever 55 which is pivotally supported at 16 on the bracket 11 which is attached to the adjacent channel 2 of the main frame I, with the lever 55 in a position to be engaged by the projection I2 on the carriage 5 as the carriage passes toward the right from a position to the left of the lever 55 or passes toward the left from a position to the right of the similar lever 55', the consequent engagements of the projec tion with the curved lever 55 causing corresponding longitudinal movement of the switch operating rod 53 accompanied by corresponding swinging of the switch rocker 44, the levers 55 and 55' being operatively connected together in the proper relatively angulated positions by the connecting rod 58' which is pivoted at 54 to the lever 55 and at 54 to the lever 55'.

The solenoid 34 which is horizontally mounted on the dielectric block 31 includes the electromagnet 56 and the plunger core 51, this core operating through the casing of the rotary threepolnt snap-switch 35 which is mounted in position by the bracket 58.

The rotary snap-switch 35, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, consists essentially of a dielectric base 59 in which is embedded a conductive bar which has the contact points 6| and 62 at opposite ends and circumferentially spaced between these are the contact points 63 and 64, all of the contact points being on the same circle. Mounted on a vertical shaft 65 at the center of this circle is a conductive hub 66 which has ratchet openings 61 therein and has radial conductive arms 68, 69 and 10 which are equally circumferentialiy spaced and have their free ends arranged so that some two adjacent ones of the contact points are always engaged by two of these arms whenever the hub is in a stopped positi n.

On the shaft above the hub turns a ratchet element H which has depending ratchet dogs 12 to engage in the ratchet openings 61 in the hub and push the hub around when the ratchet element is partly rotated by the pushing action of the solenoid plunger 51 when the ma net 56 is energized. The end of the plunger 51 engages against a roller 13 mounted between the outer ends of the legs of a U-shaped lever 14 which is pivoted through the legs on the shaft 65 with the opposite .end of the lever connected to the" ratchet element by a lug 15 rising from said element. A helical spring 16 fixed at one end-to the shaft 65 and at the opposite end to the lever 14, returns the lever, and consequently the ratchet element to initial position, ready for another stroke of the plunger 51, and at the same time restores the plunger to inoperative position, whenever the electro-magnet 56 is deenergized.

The push-button switch 36 is of any suitable type such as a toggle, a push-pull or a spring retracted type which is preferably normally in the 011" position and requires to be held by the operator in the on position.

Referring now to Figure 9 of the drawings showing the electrical connections, assuming that theldoor is in a depending vertical closed position with the carriage 5 in the extreme right hand position, and assuming that the rocker 44 of the three-pole double-throw switch is positioned so that the rocker blades 45 are engaging the spring contacts 38 in the relation expressed by the symbols ad, b-'-e and 0-) on the diagram, and assuming that the operator has closed the push-button switch 36, the contacts t and u of the push-button switch 35 are bridged by its contactor and the current flows from the source through the electro-magnet 56 of the solenoid 34 and thereby causes the plunger 51 to operate the hub of the three-point snapswitch 35 so that the contact points p and o are bridged. This passes the supply current to the point a of reversing switch'33, to point d, from d to f, to the terminal m of the running winding of the motor 28, thence to the running winding terminal 7, and through the reversing switch points e and b to the remaining side of the current source, thereby completing the circuit through the running winding of the motor.

At the same time the current flows to the starting winding of the motor via the snapasoaoas switch point 0, the point a of the reversing switch to the point d, to point f to o to the terminal k of the starting winding to the starting winding terminal I to point b of the reversing switch, to its point e to the current source, thereby causing the motor 20 to run and start the car riage S'inoving toward the left in a door elevating and opening movement. There are several types of suitable doors and door supporting arrangements available which the invention can successfully operate in a well-known manner.

As the carriage moves toward the left from the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, to a position in which the door will be almost completely opened or raised the projection l2 on the carriage passesunder the lever 55', the lever being in a raised position, and reaches and operates the lever 55 and thereby throws the rocker of the reversing switch to the position opposite that described above the spring arrangement finishing the switching action, so that its contacts a-d.

be and c-fare opened and the contacts g-d,' he and if closed. The opening of the orig-- inally engaged group of contacts stops the motorthereby halting the carriage 5 and the closing of the second mentioned group oi contacts conditions operation of the motor in the opposite or reverse direction for closing the door when-' ever the push-button switch 38 is again closed, the door remaining in the open or raised position until the push-button 36 is so operated. The described operation of the lever 55 lowers the lever 55 into operative position to be engaged by the lug ii on the reverse pass of the carriage 5, and at the same time the lever 55 is raised to clearance pos tion.

When the push-button switch 36 is again closed, the solenoid 34 operates the snap-switch 35 so as to bridge the contacts 17 and h which passes the current from the source to the point g of the reversing switch 33, to the point d,

.to J, to the terminal m of the rimning winding of the motor to the terminal 9 thereof, to the point e of the switch 33 to the remaining side of the current source. At the same time, current from the source passes from the point h of the rotary snap-switch 35 to the point g of the switch 33, thence to d, from d to I, from f to i, from i to b, thence to the terminal 1 of the starting winding of the motor, through the the winding to the terminal k, to the point e of the switch 33, to h, from h m 2, and back to the remaining side or the current source. This nears that position in which the door would be almost closed the projection l2 strikes the lug 55 on the rod 53 from the opposite direction and throws the rocker of the switch 33 to the first described position, thereby completing the cycle of operation.

The carriage 5 and hencethe door may be halted in any intermediate position for convenreverses the current through the starting winding of the motor 20 and causes the motor to move the carriage toward the right and drop the door toward its closed position. As the carriage ience or to avoid damage by or to the door, by operating the push-button switch 36 while the door is moving thereby stopping it and conditioning opposite movement of the door by the next operation of the push-button switch.

Although I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be definitely understood that I do not wish to limit the application oi the invention thereto, except as may be required by the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

Control for the electric driving motor of an overhead door operating mechanism or the type comprising a carriage connected to the door and an elevated track along which the carriage moves toward either end of the track to fully open or fully close the door; said control comprising a reversing switch mounted at one end of the track and having an operating lever, a pair of tiltable levers mounted on the track in positions to be operatively engaged by said carriage as the carriage approaches corresponding extreme positions on the track, coordinating means operatively connected between said tiltable levers and the operating lever of the reversing switch whereby engagement of a portion of the carriage with either of said tiltable levers throws the operating lever of the reversing switch to the opposite position thereby deenergizing the motor and conditioning flow of current through the motor in the reverse direction, said tiltable levers being initially positioned at different angles whereby the returntransit oi the carriage effects resetting of both of the tiltable levers, a solenoid operated position setting switch connetted between said reversing switch and its source 0! energy for the motor, and a manual momentarily operable switch connected between said source and said resetting switch whereby after initial operation of said manual switch and consequent operation of said carriage next operation of said manual switch eil'ects stopping of the carriage in an intermediate position between said tiltable levers and conditions said motor for reverse operation.

ROY ROGERS. 

